An ordinary buyer appreciates grapes for large sweet berries, choosing purple, pink or yellow grapes that they like. And the name of the variety, no matter what, is taken on faith from the lips of the seller. The gardener, first of all, pays attention to the variety - the embodiment of the most attractive qualities of the culture. One of the grape varieties great for beginners is Augustine.
Content
The mysterious and simple Augustine grape
One has only to start talking about this variety, as confusion immediately begins. Paraphrasing the revolutionary poet V. Mayakovsky, when we say Augustine, we mean Pleven or Pleven stable, Phenomenon, Presentation or V 25/20. These are all synonyms that are misleading for the novice gardener. But, whichever of these names is used, it always denotes the sought-for variety Augustine.
Why there was a strong reluctance to call things by their proper names is not known. Perhaps the reason is in the multitude of uncontrolled home-grown breeders who call their "inventions" as God wills. By purchasing different grape varieties for a personal garden, with such a confusion, instead of several new varieties, they get one essentially, but offered under different "sauces".
A quick tour of genealogy
The parent couple of Augustine is Pleven x Villard Blanc, who generously rewarded the descendant with admirable qualities.
Augustine parents in all their glory
The white table variety Pleven is named after the Bulgarian city of Pleven, where it was bred. Very early ripening period, the bunch weighs on average from 222 to 320 g, the berries are amber in color, oblong and weighing 5 g, sugar content 16%. Hibernates under cover, susceptible to fungal diseases.
Villard Blanc (Montpellier, France) is a hybrid of direct producers, which are used to breed varieties resistant to biotic - diseases, pests, and abiotic - weather factors. The French variety is also found under the name Save Villar 12–375 and, by the way, is the direct parent of such famous varieties as Kishmish Novocherkassky, Khadzhibey and Moldova. Villar blanc is of medium late maturity, has a strong resistance to mildew and leaf phylloxera, high yield. The sugar level in berries reaches 23%, oval-ovoid berries are white, pinkish.
Varietal characteristics
Each variety has specific external features and specific “internal” properties that distinguish it from a number of “brothers”.
Ripening period
Augustine grapes are early ripening with a vegetative period of 115–120 days and in the early warm spring it ripens by mid-August.
Sustainability
The plant is distinguished by its relative frost resistance - in the range from -22 ° C to -24 ° C. Above average resistant to mildew, powdery mildew, but can be affected by a nail wrench, phylloxera. With prolonged rains, it is occasionally affected by gray rot. No matter how stable any grape variety is, preventive treatments are required.
Sheet
Large - diameter 16–20 cm (on fertile soils, the leaf becomes larger, on poor and stony soils - it becomes smaller), rounded with a weak dissection, mostly three- and five-lobed. The central blade is clearly visible. The surface is slightly wrinkled, that is, it is considered smooth. Pubescence weak cobweb in the form of filiform tangled hairs creeping along the surface of the leaf. In fact, each hair is a dead formation on the cells of the leaf epidermis and performs a protective function. Closer in the fall, these hairs stray into whitish lumps and almost disappear. The denticles along the edge of the leaf are large, straight (resembling an isosceles triangle). The petiolate notch is lyre-shaped with a rounded bottom.
The shape of grape leaves is extremely diverse
Vine
It is distinguished by excellent growth force, which allows it to be used in landscape design - it is used to decorate pergolas (awnings) and arbors. Ripe vine of red-brown or terracotta color with dark small "kanopushki".
Flower
Bisexual, that is, self-pollinating (there is a joke among winegrowers that this grape variety can also be pollinated in the cellar). Thanks to this ability, Augustine is used as a "donor" of pollen, planting among bushes with functionally female flowers.
By the way, if information about the type of flower is not visible in the description of the variety, then the grapes are bisexual a priori.
Bunch
On average, the length of the bunch is 25-27 cm, and the weight is 400-700 g. But with the correct load of the bush (regulation of the number of eyes, shoots, brushes), the bunch noticeably increases in size, and its mass often exceeds 1000 g. leave one to escape. The density of the bunch is moderate, that is, there are gaps between the berries. Some looseness contributes to the airing of the bunch, which significantly reduces the risk of fungal diseases, and if a berry cracks, it is easy to remove it without damaging the neighboring ones. The shape of the cluster is conical, maybe 1–2 wings.
A bunch of grapes with well-defined wings
We can say that it is an absolutely problem-free variety. It is resistant to mildew with 2-4 preventive treatments. Oidimum did not observe. The pulp is fleshy, juicy, soft (no crunch). Sweet with a slight sourness, no nutmeg. I put on bags for wasps. A bunch of ... up to 700 g without much feeding. 8 bud trimming in 4 sleeves. Usually 1 cluster per shoot and 1/3 shoots 2 clusters. Therefore, there is no need to standardize. Ripens until August 20.
Berry
The average size of the berries - 3 cm long x 2 cm in diameter with a weight of 5–8 g - allows us to classify it as a medium category, while for the northern regions they will seem large. They have an oval shape, are one-dimensional (of the same size). The seeds are large, the maximum number is up to 6 pieces. The grapes have a beautiful color that varies from white to honey, sometimes with a slight blush and small freckles on the side. The pulp is dense, fleshy, reminiscent of marmalade, the berry is well cut without leaking juice. The peel is strong, but at the same time tender, it is not felt when eating, and in the light through it, bones are visible in the berry. Maturation is amicable. The berries can stay on the bush for up to two weeks without losing their presentation. If they are left to hang for longer, the berries will wither in the sun and gradually crumble. At the same time, the bunches almost never ripen, so they are cut off selectively with a pruner or scissors in dry weather. During work, they wear cloth gloves or hold the bunch by the stalk so as not to erase the pruin (bluish bloom) from the surface of the berries, which protects the berry from damage.
The color range of Augustine grape bunches
Pleven is the most grateful and unpretentious variety on my site and, as it seems to me, undeservedly forgotten! Plus, the taste is far from simple as they write about it, but is approaching harmonious! On a five-point scale, I put a fat four !!!
Taste
There is no dispute about tastes, but the simple language does not turn to name the taste range of Augustine. Of course, it will not surpass the splendor of the aromas and sweetness of the southern varieties, but this has its own charm. The unobtrusive aroma and not sugary refreshing sweetness are more in harmony with the character of the central and northern part of our country, where the sounds are dim and the colors are not harsh. The amount of sugar reaches 21%, a figure that is slightly below the wine standard, however, Augustine is eaten mostly in its natural form.
Yield
The annual yield is stable and high regardless of the weather. Under conditions of industrial cultivation, the yield is 120–140 kg / ha, and in a private farm - 50–60 kg per bush.
Today they took off the last bunch of Augustine, which is spread out on a gazebo 4x4 m. As a beginner, I was amazed by the harvest. 65 kg were removed from one bush. True, the shoots grew only a meter, or even less, and stood in growth. But, they say that friend Augustine forgives and not like that.
Appointment
Table wine, which means for fresh consumption, not for processing, although it makes a tolerable light wine, as well as juice.
Raisins from Augustine turned out to be very good, with a pleasant sourness. Although bones are present, but for the winter time, I believe that this is a vitamin storehouse.
Pros and cons of Augustine
Everything is learned by comparison, so some of the weaknesses of this variety may seem like a small nuisance compared to others.
Advantages:
- If it was not possible to normalize the bush with inflorescences, this will not affect the yield, unless the clusters will be smaller;
- The berries are not peeled, that is, they remain one-dimensional with any number of bunches;
- Wasps do not eat grapes;
- Possesses excellent affinity - compatibility with the stock;
- Withstands partial blackout;
- High transportability.
Disadvantages:
- During long-term transportation, shedding of berries from bunches may occur;
- With prolonged rains, there is a risk of cracking and rotting berries, deterioration in taste.
- Fungal resistance is relative, treatments are required.
Where Augustine Can Grow
Although, according to the State Register, the variety is zoned for the North Caucasian region, it is rather successfully grown in Central Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. Augustine also took root in Siberia, despite insufficient resistance to local frosts, which far exceed the capabilities of this culture. Several ways have been invented for wintering grapes:
- it is covered by 20 cm of earth, sawdust, straw;
- vines bent and fixed with hooks are covered with earth in trenches, where it was originally grown;
- equip a gutter 15–20 cm high from boards; vines are laid in them, covered with wooden shields, covered with foil;
- branches are hidden under gable roofs made of wooden panels, which are covered with foil.
For the winter, grapes are covered using a variety of improvised means
I consider the variety Augustine the best for the north of Ukraine, and for other regions as well. The variety is a dream for a summer resident! Not sick (I have not a single affected leaf in seven years), strong growth, excellent rooting. There are practically no stepchildren, frost and winter hardiness are good. It is not damaged by a tick, wasps and ants are rare, only if they burst (which is rare). A bunch is a standard for food: 500-700 gr., Sat down and ate!
Video: an overview of the Augustine grape harvest
The discrepancy in the names of the same grape variety makes it necessary to acquire it only in nurseries. And even if Augustine is your first experience in the field of viticulture, he will give a good sweet harvest.
